Police inspector Jon Tapper faces a big challenge in his new role as having responsibility for Cricklade.

People in the town are suffering something approaching a crisis of confidence in the force.

It is a situation which is mirrored in rural communities across the region.

Residents who once took local policing for granted have gradually seen their local bobby disappearing from their streets.

Wiltshire Police, struggling with recruitment and maintaining numbers, is inevitably forced to prioritise and Insp Tapper is right to suggest that the community must get involved in fighting crime.

But it cannot be right for people like publican Mark Whittam to be forced to resort to chasing young vandals down the street because he knows there is no point calling the police.

Wiltshire Police has a responsibility to every resident in the county and that includes communities away from the hustle and bustle of towns like Swindon.

The new officers promised to Insp Tapper must be brought in as soon as possible. Only then can people in Cricklade start to feel more confidence in their force.